What Makes Family
by Smackalicious
Summary: Ziva notices a change in Abby's mood and decides to investigate. Enemy on the Hill tag. Zabby friendship. ONESHOT.


**Title: What Makes Family**  
><strong>Pairing: None.<strong>  
><strong>Rating: FR7<strong>  
><strong>Genre: Angst, Episode Tag, Friendship<strong>  
><strong>Cat: Gen<strong>  
><strong>Spoilers: Episode tag for 9x04 - Enemy on the Hill. MAJOR SPOILERS.<strong>  
><strong>Warnings: None.<strong>  
><strong>Summary: Ziva notices a change in Abby's mood and decides to investigate.<strong>  
><strong>Author's Note: And here I thought I wasn't going to have anything to write about this episode. How wrong was I. Decided on Zabby after having a weird dream earlier that ended with Zabby. Not sure how I feel about this, because it's kind of what happened in the episode, but it's Ziva and Abby, so it's different.<strong>

* * *

><p>The first thing Ziva notices on walking into Abby's lab in the quiet. There is still some background noise – machines running tests on evidence and the clacking of keyboard keys so she knows the other woman is there – but the loud industrial music that she's grown so accustomed to is missing.<p>

She steps further inside the lab, calling out, "Abby?"

"Over here," Abby calls out, her voice neutral. Ziva walks toward her voice, finding her standing at her computer in the center of the lab.

She tilts her head at her friend, trying to decipher what her mood is. Finally, she says, "I was wondering if you wanted to go get lunch."

Abby continues her frantic typing as she responds. "I don't know, Ziva. I'm pretty busy here." She stops typing then and turns to face Ziva. "But thank you for asking." She indulges her friend with a brief hug, then returns to her work, focused.

Ziva turns to leave, considering Abby's words, but then turns back, asking, "Is something wrong, Abby?"

Abby turns to look at her, her eyes wide and innocent. "Why? I'm just here doing my job, same thing I've always done, same person I've always been . . ." She pauses, then says, "You probably just came in and my music wasn't playing and you thought, 'Oh, something's bothering Abby. I'll find out what.' Maybe I just didn't want to listen to music. Listening to my music loudly while I work isn't necessarily a sign of . . . of who I am!"

As Abby speaks, Ziva finds herself moving back to her, her eyes narrowing in concern. At last, Abby stops and Ziva says, "I did not mean to offend you, Abby. It is just that in the past, whenever you have been upset, you have turned your music off. That is all. If someone has been suggesting otherwise . . ."

Abby sighs and embraces Ziva again, saying, "It's not you, it's me." She pulls back to look Ziva in the face and asks, "Does that sound weird? I didn't mean it that way. I just meant . . ." She resumes the hug. "Oh, Ziva. Have you ever just felt like you didn't know who you were? I mean, not like when you were an angsty teenager or anything, but like now? As an adult?"

Ziva nods against Abby's shoulder. "Too many times, Abby."

There's a moment of silence and Abby toys with the end of Ziva's braid before pulling back, a vulnerable look on her face. "I just found out I'm adopted."

Ziva manages to mask her surprise for the most part, though her eyes still widen slightly. "I do not know what to say," she finally says, and Abby nods, understanding.

"I know, I'm still a little," she lifts her hands and makes some nondescript movements with them, "about all this. I mean, I live my whole life thinking these people are my parents, my _family_, and now . . ." She sighs. "I can't even go confront them about this, demand to know why they never let me know. The people I knew as my parents my whole life are dead, and . . ." She bites her lip, and Ziva can see the tears forming in her eyes. "I don't know where I belong anymore."

"Oh, Abby." This time Ziva is the one to initiate the hug, and she says in Abby's ear, "You will always belong here at NCIS, with us." She rubs Abby's back and steps back, giving her a sincere smile. "Do not ever doubt that."

Abby smiles back, though a tear still escapes and tracks down her cheek. Ziva reaches up without hesitation and runs the pad of her thumb across the tear's path and Abby locks eyes with her as she reaches up to take Ziva's hand, lacing her fingers through Ziva's. "I won't, Ziva. As long as you promise me to do the same."

Ziva blinks slowly and squeezes Abby's hand and they share a look that says more than words could. A few beats later, Ziva says, "You will get through this. You have us."

Abby's smile brightens. "My family."

**THE END!**


End file.
